Salty sea air . . . the wind blowing in your face . . . aah, there’s nothing like summer. Summertime is like a rite of passage for sun, fun, and relaxation. There are lots of reasons summertime is the best—including:

Beach time

Pool parties

Grilling and picnics

Outdoor gardening and greenery

Walking/running weather

Ice tea—and other cold beverages

Longer days

Summer clothes

And MORE!

We talked to your family at NSPN and here are what summer loves were shared:

Shauna Brooks, Principal Investigator: “What I most enjoy about summer is gently floating in an inner tube on the lake with a lemon shandy until the sun beats down with such heat that I have to slip in the water to cool off.”

April Carthorn, General Specialist: “What I love most about summer is the full bloom of trees as they sway in the wind, colorful fragranced flowers, and beautiful butterflies.”

Sherry Casey, Operations and Administration Manager: “Flip-flops.”

Lindsey Collier, Human Trafficking Specialist: “The heat!”

Zach Elmore, Operations Specialist: “The long days, sitting outside and watching the sunset after working all day on the farm.”

Kim Frierson, Training Specialist: “The days are longer.”

Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations: “I love the long, warm days and being able to sit out on my porch enjoying the day.”

Rachel Hurst, Development Associate: “I love that the hours of daylight are so much longer and the sun is brighter. It makes me so much happier. I really love going to the best beach in the world, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.”

Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator: “Spending time outdoors—especially, on the water somewhere. During my childhood, I spent many summer weekends boating on Lake Cumberland. I have and always will be a water child!”

Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events: “Watermelon, swimming, and the Florida heat. Call me crazy, but when I go to my car from being in a cold store, I love getting in my car and just sitting there for a moment. I eventually have to turn the AC on, but I ‘soak up’ the heat when I can.”

As the school year draws to a close, it’s time to find opportunities for keeping youth engaged during the summer months. As we all know, relaxation can be fun, but it’s only a matter of time before boredom kicks in. Chase away the mid-summer boredom blues with some of the activities listed below and be sure to let us know how much fun you have!

Explore local activities: Find community partners to sponsor zoo or museum trips or get tickets to the local fair. Check out your community’s free festivals and other summer activities (but be sure to provide adequate supervision)!

Grill out: Who doesn’t love a cookout?! The possibilities are endless—burgers, hot dogs, brats, grilled veggies, and more! Don’t forget the ice cream and s’mores for dessert! Bonus points if you have a campfire and live music.

Competitions: Bring out the competitive side of your young people. Field days, mini Olympics, basketball/volleyball/badminton games, Top Chef style competitions, and more will keep the youth in your program active and engaged. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone!

Fireworks: Fireworks are an iconic summer activity. Grab some discounted fireworks for the Fourth of July and go to town! Just be sure to discuss firework safety before the fun begins (http://www.fireworkssafety.org/safety-tips/).

Game night: Game night is fun for everyone. Board games, card games, video games, and more make for an easy and entertaining night! Snacks are a must.

Learning is fun: Help fight summer brain drain by engaging in educational activities. There are plenty of science experiments that can be done with household objects (http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/HOMEEXPTS.HTML). Games like Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit, and others will teach new information in a fun environment. If your community has a zoo or other animal-related activities, those can be great learning events. Be creative and remember that learning is fun!

Book club: Keep young minds active during the summer months with a book club. Not everyone wants to spend their time off reading, so keep it fun with movie tie-ins like the Divergent or Hunger Games series or The Fault in Our Stars. There are plenty of movie adaptations being made all the time, so take advantage of them and watch the movies as part of the discussion.

Movie night:Get tickets to a movie theater or a drive in. If those aren’t an option, host your own! Bonus points for using a projector and having an outdoor movie night. Don’t forget the snacks!

Cook together: Choose a theme for the week and learn how to make different parts of the meal each night. At the end of the week, have a feast! For Mexican week, each night could be homemade tortillas, tacos or taco salad, enchiladas, nachos, homemade salsa and guacamole, and dessert. Make each part of the meal on a different night and watch it come together!

Garden: Plant flowers and/or vegetables. Let youth have a say in what is planted and encourage them to tend to the garden regularly. If you grow vegetables, be sure to use them in the kitchen.